Newbie from NJ

[AlDente67]

Hello all, happy to find this forum...

I recently purchased a Beretta 92 FS 9mm as my regular pistol, plus a M&P 15-22 plinker rifle.

I have shot a number of handguns and rifles that friends have owned, so I'm not a pure newbie to shooting someone else's hardware. I just don't know best practices for my own.

My dealer prefers to advise me to read the manual rather than teach me (unless I pay a couple of hundred dollars for a class)

What are the snap caps used for? Do I load them in the magazine and then test fire?

Should I oil the hardware before first live fire?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[MrBuckwheat]

Welcome from Wisconsin>

[Jetfuelrm]

Welcome from Southwest Florida

[retsupt99]

from Central Florida!


ret

[pdogkilr]

Hello all, happy to find this forum...

I recently purchased a Beretta 92 FS 9mm as my regular pistol, plus a M&P 15-22 plinker rifle.

I have shot a number of handguns and rifles that friends have owned, so I'm not a pure newbie to shooting someone else's hardware. I just don't know best practices for my own.

My dealer prefers to advise me to read the manual rather than teach me (unless I pay a couple of hundred dollars for a class)

What are the snap caps used for? Do I load them in the magazine and then test fire?

Should I oil the hardware before first live fire?

First - Welcome

Snap caps are typically used for function testing and dry fire practice.

You definitely want to place the snap caps into the magazine and then cycle the action to get them into the chamber.

It is considered (by some) to be potentially harmful to drop the snap cap into the chamber and let the slide slam home. That forces the extractor to "snap" over the rim of the cap. A lot of semi-automatic actions are designed such that the slide catches the top edge of the cartridge (or snap cap) and as the slide moves forward, the tension from the magazine spring pushes the cartridge up and under the extractor. This keeps the extractor from flexing back and forth. Remember how you can flex a piece of wire over and over until it breaks? It is thought that the same type of flexing occurs if you drop a cartridge into the chamber and drop the slide.

Some may disagree.

For me, I always charge a firearm from a magazine, if it is magazine fed.

Yes, a drop or two of quality gun oil on each rail is considered prudent. No oil in the chamber or bore. I will usually put a drop on the barrel bushing and hood, if the pistol is a 1911 variant. The owners manual is your friend when it comes to maintenance, but investing in a quality class is strongly advised. If a gun shop employee (or owner) refuses to provide even minimal instruction for free after you spend that kind of money, I would not purchase a class from them. My experience is that you may not get your money's worth.

Go to the NRA.org web site and look for an NRA Certified Instructor in your area and contact them. I hope this helped.

Good luck, and good shooting.

[DocT65]

Welcome from the Gulf Coast.

[AlDente67]

Thanks for the info and welcoming.

[1MoreGoodGuy]

Welcome from Fort Worth, Texas.

[Dangerfield]

Welcome to Defensive Carry The best forum for sharing ideas and experience.

Help us keep this forum great. Remember the Golden Rule: Please treat others as you want to be treated.

I am from Kansas.

[archer51]

Welcome from Virginia.

[JaxRolo]

Howdy from NE Florida

[Luckey1115]

Welcome from SE Michigan.

[high pockets]

Welcome to the forum!

[GH]

Welcome from Wisconsin!

[BlueHawk76]

Hello all, happy to find this forum...

I recently purchased a Beretta 92 FS 9mm as my regular pistol, plus a M&P 15-22 plinker rifle.

I have shot a number of handguns and rifles that friends have owned, so I'm not a pure newbie to shooting someone else's hardware. I just don't know best practices for my own.

My dealer prefers to advise me to read the manual rather than teach me (unless I pay a couple of hundred dollars for a class)

What are the snap caps used for? Do I load them in the magazine and then test fire?

Should I oil the hardware before first live fire?

Welcome to the DC. I think it's the best!

I am also from central NJ. Here is a link to firearms training courses offered by Heritage Guild.

Firearms Classes and Training | The Heritage Guild | Firearms Courses

I have taken courses from them and I learned quite a bit. Of course, your situation may be different depending on your exact location. I would also second the recommendation to take the courses. Good luck.